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    An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
    An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
    An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
    Ebook212 pages2 hours

    An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

    By Jim Murphy

    4/5

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    National Book Award Finalist:  An account of the disease that ravaged eighteenth-century Philadelphia, written and illustrated for young readers.
     
    1793, Philadelphia: The nation’s capital and the largest city in North America is devastated by an apparently incurable disease, cause unknown…
     
    This dramatic narrative describes the illness known as yellow fever and the toll it took on the city’s residents, relating the epidemic to the social and political events of the day and eighteenth-century medical beliefs and practices. Drawing on first-hand accounts, Jim Murphy spotlights the heroic role of Philadelphia’s free blacks in combating the disease, and the Constitutional crisis President Washington faced when he was forced to leave the city—and all his papers—to escape the deadly contagion. The search for the fever's causes and cure provides a suspenseful counterpoint to this riveting true story of a city under siege.
     
    Winner of multiple awards, this thoroughly researched book offers a look at the conditions of cities at the time of our nation’s birth, and draws timely parallels to modern-day epidemics.
     
    “A lavishly illustrated book, containing maps, newspaper columns and period illustrations…unflinchingly presents the horrors of the event as well as its heroes.”—The New York Times 
     
    “Pair this work with Laurie Halse Anderson’s wonderful novel Fever 1793 and you’ll have students hooked on history.”—School Library Journal
     
    “History, science, politics, and public health come together in this dramatic account of the disastrous yellow fever epidemic that hit the nation’s capital more than 200 years ago.”—Booklist
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateSep 30, 2014
    ISBN9780547532851
    Author

    Jim Murphy

    Jim Murphy's nonfiction books have received numerous awards, among them two Newbery Honors, the Sibert Medal, three Orbis Pictus awards, the Margaret A. Edwards award, the James Madison Book Award, and a National Book Award nomination. Born and raised in New Jersey, Jim lives in Maplewood, NJ, with his family.  jimmurphybooks.com.

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    Reviews for An American Plague

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    220 ratings34 reviews

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    • 4/5
      In this 2004 Newbery Honor book, the author makes history come alive. As always, when I read a book wherein I learn about a particular subject, I'm intrigued to learn more.The summer of 1793 brought death came to more than ten percent of the population of Philadelphia, PA. When the yellow fever abated, estimates are that at least five thousand died within a few months time.This book is excellently researched and it meticulously portrays not only the devastation of the yellow fever, but in addition, the reader has a clear sense Philadelphia's role in the early beginnings of American democracy.The summer was exceedingly hot, the mosquitoes were plentiful, the air was close and putrid as waste filled the streets and alleyways. For blocks the stench of waste permeated the air as a huge shipment of coffee rotted on the shipping dock.Originally striking the poor, the rich believed themselves exempt. Though suddenly, the yellow fever showed no discrimination. Those wealthy enough to flee to the countryside did so, leaving a newly formed government struggling to dispose of waste, help those who were dying, and run the government with few officials.President George Washington fled, and in doing so, a constitutional crisis ensued.Admirably, there were heroes who could have left, but stayed behind to help the afflicted. Prominent doctors struggled to find the cause and cure for the sudden outbreak. Panic ensued as they argued, and as bodies piled high and as food supply became dangerously low, the social fabric fell apart.On the front line was the Free African Society. Founded in 1787 with the mission to help members who were poor, this incredibly brave, self sacrificing group, nursed the sick, cared for the parent less children and buried the dead, sadly, tragically, history shows that despite their incredible efforts, they were later condemned for their contributions.Highly recommended
    • 4/5
      Pat Bottino’s air sucking delivery is distracting and annoying. August 3, Dr. Rush is uneasy over the heat, drought, and the abundance of pigeons. An unknown sailor developed a fever and died, followed by a slew of eight deaths in the span of a week. Philadelphia did not take notice. The description of the symptoms is frightening and disgusting. They did not know about bacteria at the time, they still relied on the Greek philosophy of body humors. Rush was the Dr. that announced the Yellow Fever plague.If You Like This, Try: Great Fire by Jim Murphy, Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman, Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo.Awards: Newbery Honor
    • 3/5
      An unbelievably quick read, this book had Big Print and Lots of Pictures. I suspect that it was not actually targeted at my age group, that is, "old enough to know better". Still, the book was an educational look at a late 18th century yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia. George Washington was still President and humeral theory ruled medicine, so you can imagine the primitive state of medical care available to sufferers. Well researched, but written in a very simple style at a rather basic level, I finished this one in less than an afternoon. Worth reading, though, if you're a "plague" junkie like me.
    • 4/5
      I've never been a big reader of pre-20th century history, but if more of it were like this book then I might. What Jim Murphy does so well is his sifting through the historical material and building a narrative that does not gloss over anything but also does not get bogged down. Of especial interest to me in this work was the heroic role of the Free Africa Society in caring for the sick and dying in Yellow Fever-stricken Philadelphia. They show me one of history's functions: that many of those who came before us deserve to be remembered.
    • 4/5
      This was an insteresting book. Well, I haven't finished it yet and it has been a while since I have read it. Some of it was gory, but all in all was very interesting. I had no idea about a plague that spread throughout the USA during the eighteenth centruy. I would recommend this to history lovers and medical lovers.
    • 5/5
      This is a story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. I believe the author, Jim Murphy, wrote this story to enlighten people on the plague of 1793 that was caused by mosquitoes and killed an estimated four to five thousands of people. He knew that no one has written a book about the yellow fewer. He also wanted to warn people about the possibility of an occurrence of similar epidemics in our present time. I felt for all those people who died during that time, who felt helpless trying to help like Dr. Benjamin Rush, and especially the black people of Philadelphia who tried to nurse ill people without thinking of escaping slavery or without thinking of catching the disease themselves. I also feel fortunate that I did not live at that time, but it is very scary to know that even today we still do not have a cure for yellow fever. The book is research based, gives details and copies of actual newspaper clippings of the time, and displays the role of the government’s dealing of the disease. I think this book does not have just one greatest value. Everything in it; the information, readability, and the illustrations altogether give this book a great value.
    • 3/5
      This book is the collection of events and letters by those who were impacted by the 1793 Plague of Yellow Fever in Philadelphia. The disease was treated by many different doctors many different ways. Their practices were often those of supersticious acts or myths of the day. Many died; the number is unknown. The disease redefined the city of Philadelphia and our nation. The disease was contracted many summers after this and throughout the United States. Its cause was found much later and was finally realized as the mosquito.This was pretty boring. I am not sure I would use it with a Young Adult class unless they were doing research papers. It is very historical, but much more medical. I believe it would be of good use to compare our government then to now. I read the book in one afternoon. I did not know of many of the old medical practices, and was amazed by all of the claims they made to cure the disease. I feel like so many common people possess more abundent sense of medical knowledge in today's society. The book was very informative, but hardly enthralling.
    • 3/5
      In An American Plague: The True and Terrifying story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic, the author wrote a narrative on the whole story of the Yellow Fever epidemic. It tells the story of how many families had to deal with being sick but some families were lucky to get to leave the city. However, some were not. The families that were not lucky enough to get to leave had to deal with if getting sick, they had to disinfect their everything with vinegar and even bathing in the vinegar. The story also tells us how some members of the black community helped with the sick. This story gives us an insight to how the people of Philadelphia dealt with this epidemic and the many different issues they had to deal with during the epidemic.The two themes that teachers can pull from this book is the obvious history theme and the ways that the students can avoid getting the plague. The obvious history connection is there within the whole book. The teacher can talk about the time period and the the medical help that the people had during that time. After she does this, she can then tie in that the ways that students can avoid getting Yellow Fever. The author gives tips inside the book.I did not particularly enjoy this book as much as i have enjoyed the other books that I have read this semester. It was just a little boring for me, however it was very educational. I probably would have never known all of that unless I read this book.
    • 4/5
      A very insightful book not only about the history of Phildelphia, but the sequence of mini-discoveries that led to the realization that mosquitos and other insects were responsible for carrying disease, which is something that's simply taken for granted now. Most importantly, the book was written well, giving all the information of a textbook or formal report but with a readibility that was far above other information imparting texts. Highly recommended as summer reading for a 7th, 8th, or 9th grade history class.
    • 5/5
      Well-written and informative. A nice non-fiction book to pair with Fever 1793. Actual pages from newspapers at the time add to the chilling effect of learning about this time of great despair.The yellow fever epidemic in 1793 killed more than 5,000 people, killing nearly a third of Philadelphia’s residents. Unable to determine the true cause of the disease spread by mosquitoes, some in the town attempt to battle the disease while many others desert the city. An interesting look at all the key doctors, politicians, and charitable groups involved.
    • 5/5
      This book is an account of the Yellow Fever epidemic that plagued Philadelphia in the summer of 1793. It is written like a narrative telling the events as seen by eye witnesses (through their journal entries, letters, newspapers).
    • 4/5
      A compelling read about the panic of the yellow fever when it hit Philadelphia. At the time no one knew about viruses or bacteria, only that the body needed to have its humors in balance and when they were out of balance you got sick. As the fever claimed more and more victims, residents panicked and those who could fled the town. Doctors disagreed about the cause and cure. The federal government and President Washington left town. The mayor was left trying to hold the town together, keep it clean and accommodate the ill with the residents who remained and could help. This included members of the Free African Society who agreed to nurse the ill. In the mid- to late 19th century, a couple of doctors theorized that mosquitoes carried the disease. It wouldn't be until the early 20th century that this theory was accepted.
    • 5/5
      A fascinating account of the Yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia, 1793. Murphy's nonfiction books are awesome - he takes you through the event, day-by-day, mixing in first-hand accounts and facts as he makes you feel for the people involved. After telling of the event, he then takes the reader through what happens after: in this case, what we now know of Yellow Fever and other diseases spread by mosquitos, prevention methods, etc.Recommended! (though this narrator, Pat Bottino, should be skipped if possible - he read every single line as if reading newspaper headlines - pretty annoying and grating.)
    • 3/5
      (This book was read as part of my project to read all the Newbery Award and Honor books. It was an honor book in 2004.)Once again, as with The Voice That Challenged a Nation, I felt that I was simply reading an adult book with large print and a lot of pictures. It's not clear to me why this book is considered to be "for young people" except that it's relatively short. The language (necessarily so when one is quoting many 18th-century documents) is not particularly simple, and no effort is made to define unfamiliar words.Still, it is a fascinating story, and the last chapters carry on through the discovery of yellow fever's causes and the dangers of a new epidemic of the disease in our own time. Some of the descriptions of yellow fever's effects would surely appeal to preteen boys with their appetite for "gross stuff." I would like to believe that the average 6th-8th grader could easily read An American Plague, but I'm not sure that belief would be right.
    • 4/5
      I nice middle-grade history of the 1793 yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia. Not too graphic, but not too dry, either.
    • 4/5
      An American Plague is a wonderful work of non-fiction. The book describes the true story of the Yellow Plague in Philadelphia, PA in 1793. Real life figures such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are discussed. An American Plague makes a point to talk about the couragious and selfless acts of African Americans during the plague and how they were treated after the plague diminished. It also talks about how doctors eventually found the cause of Yellow Fever. Modern problems with Yellow Fever is also discussed in a non alarmist way. May take a little prodding to get started, but the book is hard to put down once begun.
    • 5/5
      This story recounts the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia during 1793. It gives great details of the geography of Philadelphia during that time period, the daily life of the citizens, as well as politics. It describes the city and the horrid smells so vividly that would make one wonder how the citizens could stand it. It goes on to describe the first few cases of yellow fever all the way to present day. The story also details the doctors' odd remedies to cure the fever and tells how long it took for someone to finally figure out the cause of the fever. It gives accounts of the Free African Society and their generous contributions to the citizens of Philadelphia in their time of need. This story has a lot of interesting information about the yellow fever of 1793 as well as a brief account of what actions were taken to help prevent further epidemics.The reason I checked out this book was because I read the fictional book "Fever 1793" by Laruie Halse Anderson and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to learn more about the yellow fever. Jim Murphy does a wonderful job of providing non-fictional information about the yellow fever of 1793 as well as the citizens of Philadelphia, the doctors, and additional information about the people who tried to find out the cause of yellow fever. He even includes illustrations from that time period to help illustrate the life back then. Jim Murphy gives many references at the end of the book to do further research. I enjoyed this book so much that I plan to by a personal copy.This would be a good book to use during a history lesson about Philadelphia or George Washington. It could be read to the class as extra information. Students could learn about George Washington's part during the yellow fever epidemic. The teacher could also use some of the information from this book to emphasize the impact that mosquitoes have to the human race during a science lesson. This book would also be good reference material to use for a report.
    • 4/5
      Really cool. This book is well structured, compelling, great illustrations, and fun. The history lesson is centered around a yellow fever outbreak in the early American Capital of Philadelphia. Murphy provides the reader with information on the people, the heroes (of all races), the villains, and even the gory details of the disease itself.
    • 3/5
      This book is good for references on th Yellow Fever. I didn't care for the fluidity of the text. It was difficult to understand at times. I felt like there could have been better photographs to describe what had taken place in the late 1700's.
    • 4/5
      An American Plague received much criticism for its dark theme and realistic description; however, this novel sticks to the true story of the plague and the horrid toll it took on all aspects of North America. I learned a hefty amount of information, ranging from the three months of no federal government to individuals terrified of leaving their home. All the information provided was revealed in an age appropriate manner (as much as it could be for such a dramatic topic). I appreciated author, Jim Murphy’s, ability to adjust the traumatizing truth to an appropriate form for a younger audience. Despite his negative feedback, I believe he provided a worthy informational text. This is absolutely not a book for entertainment, but the prefect resource for informational readings or a research tool.
    • 5/5
      In August of 1793, the Yellow Fever Epidemic invaded Philadelphia, which at the time was the largest city in the US. The virus exploded throughout the populace, killing over 100 people a day at its peak, and totalling 4-5000 in four months. The doctors argued, the government shut down, and the sick died in the streets while others escaped to the country or barricaded themselves in their homes. The author does an excellent job of creating the atmosphere of the time period, with mindsets and beliefs, political views, and descriptions of sights and smells layered into the story. The book has reproductions of prints from the time period, and from similar actions in European plagues, that illustrate the horror that was experienced but aren't too graphic for the audience. The opposite page of every chapter beginning has a contemporary newspaper showing obituaries and treatments that give scope to the fear and desperation that was felt. The story is riveting and a great way to get older children and tweens interested in history. The book won the Sibert Medal and was also a Newbery Honor book and a National Book Award Finalist.
    • 3/5
      An American Plague is about the beginning and spread of Yellow Fever. It tells the symptoms, the pain and agony, and the temporary solution. It's historical, yet reads like a story. In that case, it is easy to read.
    • 4/5
      An American Plague is about the outbreak of Yellow Fever. It goes into detail about the symptoms and pain that individuals faced if they caught this disease and how it destroyed the cities. Thousands of people died and many survived this outbreak. The disease was a mystery and still is today! An American Plague is a great choice when teaching becuase it has a lot of good information in it. Any reader can learn something from this book!
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed this book. I would give it a seven. It is an interesting story about the yellow fever epidemic. The accounts of the fever are very detailed. I was very interested about learning exactly what It was. I learned that it is a terrible disease that was spread throughout the states in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The end of the book also informed me that there was never a cure found for yellow fever. That also interested me. I think the nickname "a ticking time bomb" is correct about the next outbreak.
    • 4/5
      Earlier this summer, I read Laurie Halse Anderson’s Fever 1793, a piece of historical fiction which recounts the widespread yellow fever that nearly wiped out the booming city of Philadelphia shortly after the end of the Revolutionary War. Anderson’s book is told through the eyes of a teenage girl whose family is torn asunder by the fever and who must quickly “grow up” in order to survive the plague. Prior to reading Fever 1793, I was previously unaware of this calamity, and I did not realize just how traumatic this experience was for the city of Philadelphia.Jim Murphy’s An American Plague mines similar territory as Anderson’s Fever 1793, but presents those events without the aid of a fictional narrative. Surprisingly, Murphy’s recounting of the events is actually more entertaining and educational that Anderson’s novel; in fact, An American Plague might even be the most fascinating “history book” that I’ve ever read. Murphy uses some very traditional “textbook” devices, such as the frequent incorporation of vintage illustrations and documents, but what really drives the novel is Murphy’s narrative style. Murphy is a gifted storyteller who manages to make dull history come alive through his poetic narration of events – no small feat for retelling a little-known piece of American history.The most interesting aspect of the book, for me, was the discussion of African-American scapegoat-ing (discussed in chapter ten). Although Anderson takes a broad hand examining the issue of race in Fever 1793, Murphy examines race relations in the aftermath of the plague with great attention to detail. Additionally, the final chapter of Murphy’s book extends farther forward in history, describing subsequent outbreaks of yellow fever and the discovery of its origins (those pesky mosquitoes). This helps provide a sense of closure to An American Plague that seems absent from Anderson’s historical fiction.Jim Murphy has written a compelling, engaging account of history in An American Plague. If only all American history classes were as entertaining as this novel, more children might actually enjoy history. And that truly is a testament to the power of Murphy’s writing.Citation:Murphy, Jim. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion, 2003. Print.
    • 4/5
      The book is lengthy, but full of astounding detail about the horrific facts surrounding the deadly plaque. Students that are researching information or have a high interest in the subject (above 5th grade could be an appropriate match for this book. 
    • 5/5
      A very informative book on the Yellow Fever Epidemic that started in Philadelphia and claimed the lives of many. This book includes powerful illustrations and portraits of important people and important documents printed during the plague. I enjoyed reading the first hand accounts of many whose lives were impacted by this epidemic. It describes the different cures and suggestions on how to avoid getting the plague and what to do if you became infected. It presented a detailed historical account of those terrible days.
    • 5/5
      Jim Murphy writes so eloquently about a terrible tragedy for early America, the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. The first thing that hit me about this book was Murphy's excellent story-telling style of writing. I almost felt like I was reading Tolkien in the first paragraphs, "The sun came up, as it had every day since the end of May, bright, hot, and unrelenting. The swamps and marshes south of Philadelphia had already lost a great deal of water to the intense heat, while the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers had receded to reveal long stretches of their muddy, root choked banks. Dead fish and gooey vegetable matter were exposed and rotted, while swarms of insects droned in the heavy, humid air. In Philadelphia itself an increasing number of cats were dropping dead every day, attracting, one Philadelphian complained, 'an amazing number of flies and other insects.' Mosquitoes were everywhere, though their high-pitched whirring was particularly loud near rain barrels, gutters, and open sewers.These sewers, called 'sinks' were particularly ripe this year. Most streets in the city were unpaved and had no system of covered sewers and pipes to channel water away from buildings. Instead, deep holes were dug at various street corners to collect runoff water and anything else that might be washed along. Dead animals were routinely tossed into this soup, where everything decayed and sent up noxious bubbles to foul the air." (p1,2) I have several things that I want to talk about for this opening. As previously stated, the writing is phenomenal. Murphy goes into great detail to provide excellent imagery and really put us in Philadelphia. Harping on the vile atmosphere, further set up by his description of the spoiled coffee that had been dumped by a nearby ship on the next page sets up really well for the plague, because doctors at the time really thought that disease originated from bad smells. I love how much Murphy goes into the medical practices and beliefs at the time because bleeding a patient to get out the bad blood does not seem like something an American doctor would prescribe. There is a hint about the mosquitos however, the true carrier of the epidemic.This leads into my next commentary about how thoroughly this book is researched. I have done many literature searches in my time for science papers, but I have no idea how he found a quote from some random citizen on what was at the time just a normal day complaining about the number of flies. There are 12 pages of sources listed in the back of the book, even categorized topically. Anyone looking for a good read will love this book, learning something is an excellent perk. I would recommend this for any American history class, especially to read for summer reading or over a break so that students can fully appreciate the writing, although if they enjoy reading, they won't need the whole break because they won't be able to put the book down.
    • 4/5
      This book is based on the 18th century yellow fever epidemic. Throughout the book, real accounts of people living in the era are included with facts about the time period and conditions. This book should be used for older grade levels, like fifth grade and up, for expository writing and features within a non-fiction text. The book as a whole is very informative and an interesting read.
    • 4/5
      An American Plague is a well-written and eye-opening detailed account of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in the autumn of 1793. Murphy can certainly turn a phrase; case in point: "Water cascaded off roofs, splashed loudly onto the sidewalks, and ran in burbling rivers through the streets. The howling wind and pounding rain made a frightful noise, and yet through it all a single, chilling sound could still be heard--the awful tolling of the church bells." Since Murphy's language is sophisticated, the account would be better suited for advanced and older intermediate readers (i.e., grades 6-8). It would also be well-used as an excerpted read-aloud during a science or health class.

    Book preview

    An American Plague - Jim Murphy

    Clarion Books

    215 Park Avenue South

    New York, NY 10003

    Copyright © 2003 by Jim Murphy

    All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003.

    www.hmhco.com

    The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

    Murphy, Jim

    An American plague : the true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 / by Jim Murphy,

    p, cm.

    1. Yellow fever—Pennsylvania—Philadelphia—History—18th century— Juvenile literature. [1. Yellow fever—Pennsylvania—Philadelphia—History—18th century. 2. Pennsylvania—History—1775–1865.] 1. Title.

    RA644.Y4 M875 2003

    614.5'41'097481109033—dc21 2002151355

    ISBN 978-0-395-77608-7 hardcover

    eISBN 978-0-547-53285-1

    v1.0914

    For Mike and Ben—my wonderful, at-home germ machines. This one’s for you!

    With love, Dad

    [Image][Image]

    From James Hardie’s Philadelphia Directory and Register, 1793. (THE LIBRARY COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA)

    CHAPTER ONE

    No One Noticed

    About this time, this destroying scourge, the malignant fever, crept in among us.

    —MATHEW CAREY. NOVEMBER 1793

    Saturday, August 3, 1793. The sun came up, as it had every day since the end of May, bright, hot, and unrelenting. The swamps and marshes south of Philadelphia had already lost a great deal of water to the intense heat, while the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers had receded to reveal long stretches of their muddy, root-choked banks. Dead fish and gooey vegetable matter were exposed and rotted, while swarms of insects droned in the heavy, humid air.

    In Philadelphia itself an increasing number of cats were dropping dead every day, attracting, one Philadelphian complained, an amazing number of flies and other insects. Mosquitoes were everywhere, though their high-pitched whirring was particularly loud near rain barrels, gutters, and open sewers.

    These sewers, called sinks, were particularly ripe this year. Most streets in the city were unpaved and had no system of covered sewers and pipes to channel water away from buildings. Instead, deep holes were dug at various street corners to collect runoff water and anything else that might be washed along. Dead animals were routinely tossed into this soup, where everything decayed and sent up noxious bubbles to foul the air.

    Down along the docks lining the Delaware, cargo was being loaded onto ships that would sail to New York, Boston, and other distant ports. The hard work of hoisting heavy casks into the hold was accompanied by the stevedores’ usual grunts and muttered oaths.

    [Image]

    The ferryboat (right) from Camden, New Jersey, has just arrived at the busy Arch Street dock. (THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA)

    The men laboring near Water Street had particular reason to curse. The sloop Amelia from Santo Domingo had anchored with a cargo of coffee, which had spoiled during the voyage. The bad coffee was dumped on Ball’s Wharf, where it putrefied in the sun and sent out a powerful odor that could be smelled over a quarter mile away. Benjamin Rush, one of Philadelphia’s most celebrated doctors and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, lived three long blocks from Ball’s Wharf, but he recalled that the coffee stank to the great annoyance of the whole neighborhood.

    Despite the stench, the streets nearby were crowded with people that morning—ship owners and their captains talking seriously, shouting children darting between wagons or climbing on crates and barrels, well-dressed men and women out for a stroll, servants and slaves hurrying from one chore to the next. Philadelphia was then the largest city in North America, with nearly 51,000 inhabitants; those who didn’t absolutely have to be indoors working had escaped to the open air to seek relief from the sweltering heat.

    Many of them stopped at one of the city’s 415 shops, whose doors and windows were wide open to let in light and any hint of a cooling breeze. The rest continued along, headed for the market on High Street.

    Here three city blocks were crowded with vendors calling their wares while eager shoppers studied merchandise or haggled over weights and prices. Horse-drawn wagons clattered up and down the cobblestone street, bringing in more fresh vegetables, squawking chickens, and squealing pigs. People commented on the stench from Ball’s Wharf, but the market’s own ripe blend of odors—of roasting meats, strong cheeses, days-old sheep and cow guts, dried blood, and horse manure—tended to overwhelm all others.

    One and a half blocks from the market was the handsomely refurbished mansion of Robert Morris, a wealthy manufacturer who had used his fortune to help finance the Revolutionary War. Morris was lending this house to George and Martha Washington and had moved himself into another, larger one he owned just up the block. Washington was then president of the United States, and Philadelphia was the temporary capital of the young nation and the center of its federal government. Washington spent the day at home in a small, stuffy office seeing visitors, writing letters, and worrying. It was the French problem that was most on his mind these days.

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    Rich and poor do their food shopping along Market Street. (THE LIBRARY COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA)

    Not so many years before, the French monarch, Louis XVI, had sent money, ships, and soldiers to aid the struggling Continental Army’s light against the British. The French aid had been a major reason why Washington was able to surround and force General Charles Cornwallis to surrender at Yorktown in 1781. This military victory eventually led to a British capitulation three years later and to freedom for the United States—and lasting fame for Washington.

    Then, in 1789, France erupted in its own revolution. The common people and a few nobles and churchmen soon gained complete power in France and beheaded Louis XVI in January 1793. Many of France’s neighbors worried that similar revolutions might spread to their countries and wanted the new French republic crushed. Soon after the king was put to death, revolutionary France was at war with Great Britain, Holland, Spain, and Austria.

    Naturally, the French republic had turned to the United States for help, only to have President Washington hesitate. Washington knew that he and his country owed the French an eternal debt. He simply wasn’t sure that the United States had the military strength to take on so many formidable foes.

    Many citizens felt Washington’s Proclamation of Neutrality was a betrayal of the French people. His own secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson, certainly did, and he argued bitterly with Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton over the issue. Wasn’t the French fight for individual freedom, Jefferson asked, exactly like America’s struggle against British oppression?

    The situation was made worse in April by the arrival of the French republic’s new minister, Edmond Charles Genêt. Genêt’s first action in the United States was to hire American privateers, privately owned and manned ships, to attack and plunder British ships in the name of his government. He then traveled to Philadelphia to ask George Washington to support his efforts. Washington gave Genêt what amounted to a diplomatic cold shoulder, meeting with him very briefly, but refusing to discuss the subject of United States support of the French. But a large number of United States citizens loved Genêt and the French cause and rallied around him.

    Pro-French sympathies were further heightened in July by the sudden influx of 2,100 French refugees, who were fleeing a fierce slave rebellion in Santo Domingo. Pro-French demonstrations were held near the president’s home and escalated in intensity. Vice President John Adams was extremely nervous about this French Madness and recalled that ten thousand people in the streets of Philadelphia . . . threatened to drag Washington out of his house, and effect a revolution in the government or compel it to declare war in favor of the French Revolution.

    While Washington worried, the city’s taverns, beer gardens, and coffeehouses—all 176 of them—were teeming with activity that Saturday. There men, and a few women, lifted their glasses in toasts and singing and let the hours slip away in lively conversation. Business and politics and the latest gossip were the favorite topics. No doubt the heat, the foul stink from Ball’s Wharf, and the country’s refusal to join with France were discussed and argued over at length.

    In all respects it seemed as if August 3 was a very normal day, with business and buying and pleasure as usual.

    Oh, there were a few who felt a tingle of unease. For weeks an unusually large supply of wild pigeons had been for sale at the market. Popular folklore suggested that such an abundance of pigeons always brought with it unhealthy air and sickness.

    Dr. Rush had no time for such silly notions, but he, too, sensed that something odd was happening. His concern focused on a series of illnesses that had struck his patients throughout the year—the mumps in January, jaw and mouth infections in February, scarlet fever in March, followed by influenza in July. There was something in the heat and drought, the good doctor speculated, which was uncommon, in their influence upon the human body.

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    A group of well-to-do men gather at the City Tavern to drink, smoke their pipes, and talk away the afternoon. (THE LIBRARY COMPANY OF PHILADELPHIA)

    The Reverend J. Henry C. Helmuth of the Lutheran congregation, too, thought something was wrong in the city, though it had nothing to do with sickness of the body. It was the souls of its citizens he worried about. Philadelphia . . . seemed to strive to exceed all other places in the breaking of the Sabbath, he noted. An increasing number of people shunned church and went instead to the taverns, where they drank and gambled; too many others spent their free time in theaters which displayed rope-dancing and other shows. Sooner or later, he warned, the city would feel God’s displeasure.

    Rush and Helmuth would have been surprised to know that their worries were turning to reality on August 3. For on that Saturday a young French sailor rooming at Richard Denny’s boarding house, over on North Water Street, was desperately ill with a fever. Eighteenth-century record keeping wasn’t very precise, so no one bothered to write down his name. Besides, this sailor was poor and a foreigner, not the sort of person who would draw much attention from the community around him. All we know is that his fever worsened and was accompanied by violent seizures, and that a few days later he died.

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    One of the many narrow, forgotten alleys of Philadelphia. (THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA)

    Other residents at Denny’s would follow this sailor to the grave—a Mr. Moore fell into a stupor and passed away, Mrs. Richard Parkinson expired on August 7, next the lodging house owner and his wife, Mary, and then the first sailor’s roommate. Around the same time, two people in the house next to Denny’s died of the same severe fever.

    Eight deaths in the space of a week in two houses on the same street . . . but the city did not take notice. Summer fevers were common visitors to all American cities in the eighteenth century, and therefore not headline news. Besides, Denny’s was located on a narrow out-of-the-way street—really more an

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